Have you ever felt like you wish you had a magic wand to turn back the hands of time? Or a thing to do or drink, like a magic Potion that you could just take to make you insanely more productive and successful? Well I have.

The bitter truth is that it doesn’t exist.
There’s no darn potion or magic wand that could be used to just become so insanely productive. But each of us have something even better than a magic potion or wand that will do all of those things and more, which is “Gratitude”.

We live In a fast-paced, competitive culture, we tend to notice and worry about what’s lacking in our
lives. Because of our drive to succeed, we focus on what stands in our way. We tune our frequency in to the things we don’t have—material items, body type, status, money, perfect relationships. Felt that way before? (That makes us two.) But when we view our world from this perspective, we set ourselves up to measure our worth by our deficits rather than our successes.
Feelings of insufficiency, imperfection, and envy are known barriers to our happiness. When we
harbor these feelings, we limit our capacity for feeling happy, fulfilled, successful and even productive.

The awesome news about gratitude is that it requires little time and no money!

1. Make a list of Seven things you are grateful for right now.

“You cannot exercise much power without gratitude because it is gratitude that keeps you connected with power. The creative power within us makes us into the image of that to which we give our attention. The grateful mind is constantly fixed upon the best, therefore it will receive the best”– Wallace Wattles

I don’t know if it’s just me but I so much love the number, 7! It’s like a magic number. If you’ve got a special number you are fond of using, do yours that number of time. I’ve come to realize how powerful we could be when we use what we love to do the things we want. We feel so productive.
These can be big things (like your family or an accomplished goal) or little things (like the fact that someone held the door open for you this morning!). For the fact that all things have contributed to your advancement or achievement, you could include them in your gratitude list too. This can be a mental list or written down. But preferably, I’ll suggest it written down, so as to go through them later.

2. Reflect on your list

This is a great truth. The universe in which we live is strangely and wonderfully accommodating.”–Eric Butterworth

In the book, The Secrets, The universal law of attraction was vividly explained there which says that we will attract into our life the things we think about and focus on. Since this is true, wouldn’t you want more of what you are grateful for? (I think I know the answer to that!) Remember that when you are consciously aware of your blessings, and are
grateful for them, you are focusing more clearly on what you do want in your life – and are attracting more of those things into your life.
Just let it flow; Allow yourself to feel good about those things.

3. Keep a gratitude journal

Gratitude reduces negativity. It is hard to be negative about your situation when you are thinking about things for which you are grateful. One of the fastest ways to improve your mood or
outlook is to count your blessings.
Keeping a gratitude journal of things that go well is bonfire way to do so, improve happiness, feel more productive and enhance creativity. Since the day I started keeping one, I’ve felt so much peace, quiet and fulfilment. I have a goal journal, every day journal and a gratitude journal. The results I get from keeping them are massive. It helps kept your Mind focused.

4. Write thank you notes

We learn the importance of saying “thank you” as little children. We are taught that habit because it is
“good manners.” This childhood lesson is extremely powerful.
Boost your happiness by writing a letter or email to someone in your life for whom you’re grateful.
This will not only make you happier, but will also nurture your relationship with the person you’re
writing to. Make a plan to write a different thank you note every month (or every week if you want
to reap more benefits!). This is also a great strategy to use in the workplace— acknowledging the work that others do will increase and sustain their motivation to continue doing great work. Also, remember to write yourself a thank you note every now and then!

5. Practice meditation or prayer

I got to learn about this from my amazing confidence coach, Nícia Cruz of TheMaskWriter
And It’s a known fact that before scientists began studying gratitude in the 20th century, many religious leaders and philosophers expounded on the virtue of practicing gratitude through prayer or meditation.
Use mindfulness meditation to focus on what you’re grateful for in the present moment—it could be the warmth of the sun, a pleasant smell, or a feeling of peace and calm. If it suits you, you can also use prayer to acknowledge and
cultivate gratitude.

6. Start Right Now

If there is a person you can thank or show
your appreciation to, do that now too (a quick
call or email is a good start!).
You can do this exercise anytime, and you don’t have to stop at seven things. In fact, it is a great
idea to keep a running list in your Journal, planner or notebook – this way you can return to your list anytime you wish, reinforcing your
gratitude.
But at any moment you can make a list, bask in those thoughts, and share that thankfulness with
others.
You’ve probably thought of being thankful as a
good thing to do or the right thing to do. But
now hopefully you see it can be even more
powerful than “right.”

7. Practise! Practise! Practise!

It’s not just enough knowing these. Put them to practise. In order to get insanely productive, you’ve got to get your butt off that chair or that comfort zone of yours and start getting stuff done in a great way. Starting with being grateful is a freaking great call!

By the way, Gratitude is an attitude. It is a choice and a habit. When we consciously practice being grateful for the people, situations and resources around us we begin to attract better relationships and results. The habit will be strengthened as you make the choice each day.